1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and useful improvement in covers or tarpaulins for open truck or vehicle bodies, and more specifically pertains to an extendable and contractible vehicle bed covering with an extendable closure to completely enclose a vehicle bed.
2. Description of the related art including information
disclosed under 37 CFR .sctn.1.97-1.99
In the prior art, various attempts have been made to provide an automated, weather and theft resistant, or load bearing vehicle cover. The necessity for these covers has resulted in part from governmental regulations that require trucks hauling materials such as sand, gravel, landfill and refuse to have the top of the open body of the truck covered with a covering or tarpaulin and from the necessity to secure cargo to prevent dangerous spillage.
In the past, truckers have had to carry a tarpaulin in a convenient location and when the truck is loaded, it is necessary to manually spread the tarpaulin over the load which may be a time consuming or even a hazardous process. Recent developments have produced some devices that mechanically extend and retract a tarpaulin in the operation of covering the open body of a truck. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,206 to Adams there is disclosed a cover system for a pickup truck that has an open top defined by vertical spaced apart side walls, and a front wall. The cover system includes a rollable cover unit which has the capability of being either completely or partially extended or retracted to close or expose the truck bed. The cover portion consists of a multiplicity of adjacent transverse rigid panels which are continuously connected along their transverse length by flexible resilient connecting strip members of flexible and water resistant material. The cover unit is extended or retracted by a drive system located at the upper forward section of the truck bed. The drive system includes one or more pinion type cylindrical drive roller members intermediate the side walls of the truck bed which are in driving contact with and have teeth to positively engage rack-type teeth on the underside of the cover panels. Controls and motor means are provided to control and activate the drive system. A power driven reeling system is provided adjacent to the drive system and connected to the cover unit so that movement of the reeling system will also assist the cover unit to be extended or retracted. The reeling system is linked in a coordinated manner with the drive roller members. In one embodiment, when the tailgate of the truck is removed or absent, the rear opening of the truck bed will be covered by driving the cover unit to the floor at the rear of the truck bed. A disadvantage of this covering system is that it is adapted for a pickup-type truck having an elongated truck bed with a horizontal truck bed floor portion and a pair of laterally spaced parallel vertically extending side wall portions. The guide and support track means of this system are placed at the interior side of the pair of laterally spaced apart parallel vertically extending side wall portions of the pickup-type truck and thus, the system is not adaptable to a pure flat-bed type truck or trailer. Still further, the covering comprises a segmented load bearing cover which may add substantial weight and complexity as opposed to embodying foldable and relatively light weight material as a non-load bearing cover which is yet suitable to protect against adverse weather and environmental conditions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,194 to Kirkum there is disclosed an automatic cover assembly for an open top pickup truck consisting of a series of travelling rectangular frames covered with a sheet of flexible material. The frames are stored in accordion folds in a box located at the front of the truck. Motor means are provided to drive and control the movement of the frames and cover sheet in the manner of a rack and pinion drive. However, this reference does not disclose means for extending and driving the cover to the floor of the truck bed such as to completely enclose the truck bed cargo area.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,523 to Camp there is disclosed a contractible tent shell truck cover which is slidably secured within spaced parallel rails secured interiorly of a truck bed. The truck cover is contractible in an accordion style fashion to compress against the forwardmost wall of the truck bed. Spaced first and second lengths secure "U" shaped rails wherein third and fourth lengths are secured between the rails at the apex of each downwardly orientated "U" shaped rail to provide rigidity to a skeleton framework securing thereto a flexible canopy. The canopy and framework is removably attached to the spaced rails and a floor panel is secured to lowermost edges of the canopy by a zipper connection including a second door panel replaceable for the first door panel to provide a tent structure when the cover is removed from the truck bed. Such a contractible truck cover system is again particularly suited for a pickup-type truck having a pair of laterally spaced parallel vertically extending side wall portions as opposed to a mere flat-bed type truck bed floor portion. Still further, this contractible truck cover system does not disclose means for extending and driving the cover to completely enclose the truck bed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,629 to Woodward there is disclosed a telescopic cover for the load-carrying body of a truck comprised of a plurality of cover sections which are adapted to be moved from a retracted or open disposition to an extended or closed disposition relative to the open top of the load-carrying body. Motor activated cables are employed to selectively move the telescopic cover to the retracted or extended positions. Again, such a system is adapted for the top of a load-carrying body and does not have means for enclosing the entire truck bed.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the present invention provides for a contractible cover assembly for the load carrying body of a vehicle comprising:
canopy frame cover means for covering a load carrying body of a vehicle bed which is movable from an open storage position wherein the vehicle bed is substantially uncovered and a closed covering position wherein the vehicle bed is closed by the cover means; PA1 laterally spaced guide track means capable of being mounted along the longitudinal side surfaces of a vehicle bed or the vertically extending side wall portions bordering a vehicle bed for supporting said cover means during movement between said open storage position and said closed covering position; PA1 said canopy frame cover means including a plurality of drive train members longitudinally moveable along said guide track means and a plurality of canopy frames, said frames having a rib portion integral with and bridging a pair of support legs, said rib portion having a length to extend traversely across the width of said load carrying body of a vehicle bed between said laterally spaced guide track means, and said support legs being attached to and supported by said plurality of drive train members; PA1 drive means operably connected with a power source for selective and synchronized longitudinal movement of said drive train members along said guide track means and for moving said canopy frame cover means between said open storage position and said closed covering position; PA1 and means for extending an end portion of said canopy frame cover means to enclose an end portion of said vehicle bed. PA1 canopy frame cover means for covering a load carrying body of a vehicle bed which is movable between an open storage position wherein the vehicle bed is substantially uncovered and a closed covering position wherein the vehicle bed is closed by the cover means; PA1 laterally spaced guide track means capable of being mounted along the longitudinal side surfaces of a vehicle bed or the vertically extending side wall portions bordering a vehicle bed for supporting the cover means during movement between the open storage position and the closed covering position; PA1 the canopy frame cover means including a plurality of drive train team members longitudinally moveable along the guide track means and a plurality of canopy frames, the frames having a rib portion integral with and bridging a pair of support legs, the rib portion having a length to extend traversely across the width of the load carrying body of a vehicle bed between the laterally spaced guide track means, and the support legs being attached to and supported by the plurality of drive train team members; PA1 drive means operably connected with a power source for selective and synchronized longitudinal movement of the drive train team members along the guide track means and for moving the canopy frame cover means between the open storage position and the closed covering position; PA1 and means for extending an end portion of the canopy frame cover means to enclose an end portion of the vehicle bed. PA1 A contractible cover assembly for the load carrying body of a truck of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to drawings of a preferred embodiment thereof, the drawings being illustrative of the best mode known by the inventor for carrying out the invention.
The contractible cover assembly for a load carrying body of a vehicle of the present invention advantageously may be mounted to either the longitudinal side surface of a vehicle's horizontal bed floor (e.g. a "flatbed" truck) or to the vertically extending sidewall portions bordering a vehicle bed floor (e.g. a "pick-up" truck). In the former situation, the canopy frame cover means will include canopy frames which have a pair of support legs of a greater length to support the rib portion of the frame which will extend traversely across the width of the load carrying body of a vehicle bed between the laterally spaced guide track means. In the later situation where the contractible cover assembly for a load carrying body of a vehicle is attached to the vertically extending sidewall portions bordering a vehicle bed, the canopy frame cover means may include canopy frames support legs of a lesser dimension such that they are sufficient to extend upwardly over the sidewall portions bordering the truck bed floor to support the rib portion of the frame in a position extending traversely over the cargo load of the vehicle bed. In either situation the contractible cover assembly for a load carrying body of a vehicle of the present invention may be mounted to a vehicle in a "retrofit" manner such as, for example, to take a pre-existing flat bed truck or pickup truck and change the same into a vehicle having a contractible cover assembly for its load carrying body. Thus, it is a significant advantage of the present invention that the contractible vehicle bed covering with extendable closure is an independent assembly which may be retrofitted to pre-existing flat bed trucks, pickup trucks and other vehicles.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the contractible cover assembly can be actuated by a driver in the cab portion of the truck so as to automatically extend the cover means over the cargo area of a vehicle or to automatically contract the cover means back to an open storage position wherein a vehicle bed is substantially uncovered.
Still further, the contractible cover assembly for the load carrying body of a vehicle of the present invention advantageously provides for canopy frame cover means which are attached to and supported by a drive train member of a modular design longitudinally movable along the guide track means. Thus, it is only necessary to add additional drive train members as part of a drive train team to accommodate differing lengths of vehicle beds. Similarly, the means for extending an end portion of the canopy frame cover means to enclose an end portion of a truck bed floor may comprise a closure end train member which is also modular in design.
Still further, the contractible cover assembly of the present invention advantageously provides for means for extending an end portion of the canopy frame cover means to enclose the end portion of a vehicle bed thereby entirely enclosing and securing the cargo of the vehicle bed to prevent dangerous spillage.
Also, the contractible cover assembly of the present invention fosters an ease of movement of the drive train team members along the guide track means as the lower wheels of each of the drive team members communicate with a tensioning member to allow flexion of the lower wheels such that the upper wheels of the drive train members can ride over ice, dirt, or other debris or impediment upon the guide track means.